The European Journal of Orthodontics Advance Access originally published online on June 13, 2006
The European Journal of Orthodontics 2006 28(5):480-484; doi:10.1093/ejo/cjl014
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Reverse-sequencing chewing patterns before and after treatment of children with a unilateral posterior crossbite
* Departments of Orthodontics and Gnathology-Masticatory Function, Italy
** Medical Statistics and Biometry, Turin University, Italy
*** Department of Orthodontics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Address for correspondence Professor Pietro Bracco, Cattedra di Ortognatodonzia e gnatologia (funzione masticatoria), Scuola di specializzazione in Ortognatodonzia, I-10126 Torino, Italy. E-mail: pietro.bracco{at}unito.it
The aim of this study was to compare the percentage of reverse-sequencing chewing cycles in 22 children [9 boys and 13 girls; mean age ± SD, 8.6 ± 1.3 and 8.8 ± 1.5 years, respectively), with a unilateral right or left posterior crossbite, before and after therapy.
The chewing cycles were recorded using a kinesiograph while the subjects masticated a soft and a hard bolus on both the crossbite and non-crossbite side. Chewing data were acquired before and 6 months after orthodontic treatment of the crossbite with an orthodontic functional appliance, the Function Generating Bite.
The results showed that, before therapy, the percentage of reverse-sequencing chewing cycles on the crossbite side was significantly higher than that on the normal side (P < 0.001) with both the soft and hard bolus. In addition, the percentage of reverse-sequencing chewing cycles on the crossbite side before therapy was significantly greater than after therapy with both a soft and hard bolus (P < 0.001). No significant differences were found in the percentage of reverse-sequencing chewing cycles on the non-crossbite side, before or after therapy, either with a soft or hard bolus.